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With the 2009-2010 National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs & Finals right around the corner, I looked back and realized that this is my 20^th year of watching professional basketball.

Has it really been that long?

The Memories

I can still see the Los Angeles Lakers Sam Perkins drilling a three-point shot to stun the Chicago Bulls at the end of Game 1 as well as Michael Jordan’s classic right-to-left under goal lay-up over the same Sam Perkins in Game 2 of the 1990-1991 NBA Finals.

Bulls versus Lakers.

Those were the years.  The veteran laded Los Angeles Lakers versus the hip, up-and-coming Chicago Bulls.

Memories.

The Questions

With that said, I decided to test that memory (use of references are forbidden!) and challenged myself with these questions: Over the last 20 years, which teams have participated in the NBA Finals?  Who were the winners?

Tall order?

At least not initially as the key to these questions would be to determine who were the winners and the bridesmaids would surely follow suit.

The Answers

Starting with the 1990-1991 season, this was a no-brainer as it signified the first Chicago Bulls dynasty (1991, 1992, and 1993).  This was followed by the Jordan-less years of 1994 and 1995 wherein the Hakeem Olajuwon led Houston Rockets dispatched the New York Knicks in seven games en-route to the first NBA Championship (1994).  The Rockets then repeated in 1995 when they swept the youthful Orlando Magic in four games.  The championship also etched the Houston Rockets in NBA annals as the lowest seeded playoff team (6^th) to capture the title.

From 1996-1998, the Chicago Bulls again regained their dominance over the NBA with their second three-peat.  In the 1998-1999, the league played a 50-game lockout shortened—no All-Star Weekend—season.  The finals featured the overachieving New York Knicks (8^th seed) and the Twin Tower (“The Admiral” David Robinson and “Big Fundamental” Timmy Duncan) led San Antonio Spurs.  If I am not mistaken, it was Spurs in six…or was it in five.  One thing is for sure, the Spurs were simply too much for the Ewing-less Knicks.

The turn of the century brought yet another string of championships for Coach Phil Jackson (2000, 2001, and 2002), but this time with a Los Angeles Lakers team that was bannered by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.  In 2003, the San Antonio Spurs gave their “Admiral” David Robinson a great retirement gift when they captured their second NBA crown.  This also marked the only finals match-up wherein I was unable to recall whom the runner-up was.

Hitting the curb

NBA seasons from 2003-2006 took a little more time to flesh out.  Questions such as the three seasons wherein the San Antonio Spurs captured championships as well as the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat championship years were among the last to be identified.  But once the aforementioned sequencing and cast of teams were identified, everything fell into place.

Back to business

The 2003-2004 NBA season featured future hall-of-fame members Karl “The Mailman” Malone and Gary “The Glove” Payton joining the potent Los Angeles Lakers for another run at an NBA Championship.  However, this was not meant to be as they had the rug pulled out from under them by the blue-collar Detroit Pistons led by the likes of Ben Wallace, Richard “Rip” Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and Chauncey “Mr. Big Shot” Billups.

The following season (2004-2005), Detroit again made it back to the NBA Finals but lost out to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.  This season, in my mind, was best remembered for those Rasheed Wallace WWE inspired NBA Championship belts that he got for the whole Pistons team.

I wonder what ever happened to those belts?

The 2005-2006 NBA season featured two first-timers to the NBA Finals stage: The Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.  This season was a classic example of momentum gone awry as it really looked like the Dallas Mavericks had this series all but locked up with a 2-0 advantage and a huge lead in Game 3 of that series.

Then Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. happened and the rest is history.

Miami upset the Mavs in Game 3 and proceeded to take the next three contests and captured their first NBA championship.

The NBA Finals in 2006-2007 was forgettable to say the least.  I remember that the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers finals match-up to be one of—if not the lowest—rated finals in history.  I didn’t even bother to try and watch any of the games that year.  Spurs swept the Cavs in four.

On the other hand, the 2007-2008 season was more promising with Boston Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge engineering several trades that brought Kevin “KG” Garnett and Walter Ray Allen, Jr. to the Celtics for practically everyone on their team with the exception of Paul “The Truth” Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Kendrick Perkins.  This development, coupled with the Los Angeles Lakers acquiring Pau Gasol the year before, set the stage for a Lakers verses Celtics finals match-up.  One that fans haven’t seen since 1986-1987.

It was a great match-up with the Celtics capturing their league-leading 17^th NBA banner in six games.  For more information on this season, I’ve written an extensive post on the Celtics championship season here.

Lastly, the 2008-2009 finals match-up featured the Los Angeles Lakers returning to the big dance along with the young Orlando Magic team lead by the dominating Dwight Howard.  In this particular series, there was a lot of heartbreak for the Orlando Magic as they squandered numerous opportunities to truly establish themselves in the finals.  However, this does not take anything away from the Los Angeles Lakers who truly deserved the The Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy.

This championship also broke a tie between legendary icon Arnold Jacob “Red” Auerbach of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson for most NBA championships by a head coach.  Jackson now takes the top spot with 10 championships.

In summary

Well, that was 19-years of NBA Finals basketball and I look forward to the end of the 2009-2010 NBA regular season, an interesting NBA play-offs, and hopefully, an epic finals match-up.

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Now playing: Incognito – Don’t Turn My Love Away
via FoxyTunes

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” is the first squeal of director Oliver Stone (Platoon, JFK, Wall Street) and stars Michael Douglas (Wall Steet, Fatal Attraction), Shai LeBeouf (Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Susan Sarandon, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Eli Wallach, Frank Langella, and Charlie Sheen who will briefly reprise his role as Bud Fox.

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps opens in cinemas on April 21, 2010.

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Now playing: Incognito – Can’t Get You Out of My Head (Latin Project Remix)
via FoxyTunes

Last week I was invited by the Catholic Handicapped Development–headed by Fr. Luke R. Moortgat, CICM of De La Salle University–to be a guest speaker for their March 6, 2010 symposium which focused on the mentally ill.

As the first speaker, my talk–entitled “A Brief Look into Mental Illness”–briefly touched on several mental disorders such as anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, addiction disorders, and poor impulse control.

There was also an emphasis placed on educating patients, parents, counselors, teachers, and mental health professionals on the possible benefits of psychotherapy/counseling, medication, etc.

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Now playing: The Brand New Heavies – Midnight At the Oasis (Ian Green Remix)
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Category: Movies
Genre: Drama

Just wanted everyone to know that a Bruce Campbell sighting (he portrayed eccentric director William Roberts) was the only reason why I watched this “what if?” production.

Now down to business.

November 22, 1963.

Some say that the events that transpired in Dallas, Texas not only marked the end of the campaign of President Kennedy and devastated a nation, but also brought forth (among other things) the uncontested advancement of United States troops on Vietnam soil.

In 92 minutes, Director and Writer Robert Dyke explores just that possibility, “What if President John Fitzgerald Kennedy had not died on that sunny afternoon in 1963?” A non-linear roller coaster follows with stops through time in the 60’s, 70’s, 90’s, 2000, and 2001. It’s quite an adventure (and a story…if this is your line of interest), filled with riveting details that is sure to discourage bathroom breaks—least you would be willing to forgo chunks of important information that piece this whole production together.

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Now playing: Global Communication – 5:23
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Category: Movies
Genre: Horror

Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
Screenplay by: Patrick Melton & Marcus Dunstan
Story by: Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan, & Thomas H. Fenton

Setting: A morgue. Saw IV opens with a pathologist mouthing the words into a portable recorder, “Subject’s name is John Kramer. 52 year old male; Caucasian. He’s seen better days.”

Word of caution boys and girls, I was eating a bowl of cereal as this was going on…learn from my mistake. Don’t!

After watching the SAW Trilogy, I have grown to admire the character of engineer John Kramer (played by actor Tobin Bell) and his twisted quest to provide others with a sense of realization as to the value of their existence. Sure, there are the ingenious “traps and tricks and plot twist” but who is really John Kramer? What was he prior to his days as the media christened Jigsaw? Did he have a family?

Saw IV gives us all the answers.

In an interview with Wizard Entertainment prior to the release of the aforementioned film, Bell gives fans some insight into his Kramer character.

“The world has changed and Jigsaw’s troubled by a lot of things. He has one foot in Nietzsche and the other foot in today’s New York Times, and then another foot in Jesus, and one more in Shakespeare. He listens to Mahler, Beethoven and Mozart.”

Bell added:

“So as long as we have writers and directors and the cast and crew that we’ve had…I mean, the crew is amazing. We’ve had the same director of photography since the first “Saw,” the same scenic designer since “Saw II,” the prop guys, gaffers, our sound guy, all those guys are the same guys. It’s just such a pleasure to work collaboratively with a team like that.”

Familiarity. Cohesion. Perspective. And a great product.

SAW IV has got to be synonymous with success.

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Now playing: Shai – During the Storm
via FoxyTunes

Category: Movies (Direct-to-video)
Genre: Animation

14 years after—arguably—the most publicized and grieved “death” in the comic book industry, comes the first PG-13 direct-to-video animated adaptation of “The Death of Superman” entitled Superman/Doomsday.

Directed by Lauren Montgomery, Brandon Vietti, and Bruce Timm (the latter who was also responsible for other animated projects such as: Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited), Superman/Doomsday is an unprecedented animated movie having been conveyed a PG-13 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America for its action violence. Superman/Doomsday pushes the envelope in its interpretation of the death of the Man of Steel, his rebirth, and eventual ascension back as the guardian of the city of Metropolis.

Actors James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Adam Baldwin (Turistas) take over from Superman: The Animated Series voice talents’ Clancy Brown and Tim Daly and give a “new voice” to the maniacal and cunning Lex Luthor and Superman. Actress Anne Heche (Six Days Seven Nights; Psycho (1998); and Men In Trees) seems to also hold her own as reporter Lois Lane.

Overall, if you are willing to divest yourselves from established comic book cannon, this DVD is highly recommended!

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Now playing: Hiromi’s Sonicbloom – Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
via FoxyTunes

Category: Movies
Genre: Horror

Originally proposed as a short film by neophyte filmmaker Michael Bartlett to Director Kevin Gates, The Zombie Diaries was eventually made into a non-linear feature length film using an ensemble of relatively unknown actors and an impressive make-up crew.

At the onset, The Zombie Diaries seems to pay homage to other horror films as Directors Gates and Bartlett take elements from celebrated cult classics such as “The Blair Witch Project” (filmed as a documentary using a hand-held video camera), “Night of the Living Dead” (Zombies inspired by Director George A. Romero’s interpretation of zombies), and “Shaun of the Dead” (a British themed zombie flick) in creating their fictional post-apocalyptic zombie infested rural England.

Overall, I found great difficulty in watching the Gates and Bartlett opus in a single sitting, as I would constantly get migraines brought about by the camera’s rapid movement. On top of this inconvenience, character development also left much to be desired.

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Now playing: Rick James – Ghetto Life
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Category: Books
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
Author: Bruce Jones
Artist: Sean Murphy

Published simultaneously with “Batman: Ra’s Ah-Ghul Year One” to coincide with the release of Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (which featured the aforementioned Batman arch villains). Batman: Scarecrow Year One is brilliantly illustrated by Sean Murphy and masterfully written by Bruce Jones, who takes his readers on a journey into the origins of dishonored Dr. Jonathan Keeny Crane as well as insight into the recesses of the Dynamic Duo’s fears.

Jones lends his expansive vocabulary and wit to Jonathan Keeny Crane aka “The Scarecrow” (who uses words and terms throughout the two books such as “elliptical ways,” “darkly introspective,” “bevy,” “emancipated whelp,” “furtive,” “digress,” “implausible,” “erudite,” and “debauchery” just to name a few) which I have not seen since Bob Kane’s Batman stories, the 1960’s Adam West and Burt Ward Batman television show, and Mark Waid’s and Alex Ross’ “Kingdom Come.”

I also enjoyed the interplay between the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder, with the latter truly being a “Watson” to the former (“Homes”) in the eyes of Jones. Subtle humor could also be seen throughout the books as Batman playfully treats Robin as just that—a boy.

Batman: Scarecrow Year One’s Robin could be no older than 17-year’s old (based on his “advances” to a receptionist under the guise of “The Hammer”), but Jones gives Robin insight beyond his years (“garrulous mood,” “immaculate,” “aboretum,” and “visceral guilt” are just some the words in Robin’s equally expansive vocabulary) based on a number of references to his training under the tutelage of The Batman (“What’s the FIRST thing I taught you, Robin?” said Batman. He then added, “Everything’s a clue…no matter how insignificant.”)

Batman: Scarecrow Year One is a must read for any Batman fan—new and old. It involves very few of the familiar “Bam!” “Pow!” and “Splat!” fisticuffs as it focuses on traditional detective work which only Caped Crusaders can provide.

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Now playing: Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
via FoxyTunes

Series: Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
Episode: “Beware The Grey Ghost” (Season 1, Episode 18)
Original Air Date: November 4, 1992

“Beware The Grey Ghost” (Episode #18) is featured on Volume One of Batman: The Animated Series (DC Comics Classic Collection) (1992) DVD.

After a series of unexplained yet blatant acts of arson, The Dark Knight awakes with memories of a television program that “he and his father” would stay up and watch during his youth—The Grey Ghost.

The following morning as Bruce Wayne, The Batman investigates this lead and enlists the assistance of a reluctant Simon Trent—who was the fictional actor that played The Grey Ghost (voiced by Adam West). With Trent’s help, The Batman discovers that an episode of The Grey Ghost (entitled “The Mad Bomber”) bore uncanny similarities to the Gotham City arsonist.

From there, the clues begin to fall into place and lead the duo of Batman and Trent (now clad in his Grey Ghost costume) straight to their adversary (voiced by Batman: The Animated Series creator Bruce Timm), whom they eventually bring to justice.

This is one episode of Batman: The Animated Series that I can never get tired of watching as it not only gives fans a glimpse of Bruce Wayne’s childhood, but also reveals a more human side to The Dark Knight.

Yes. Even The Batman had his idols.

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Now playing: Tears For Fears – Pale Shelter
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Category: Movies
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy

It took three years, but Director Len Wiseman didn’t miss a beat with the release of “Underworld: Evolution.” The sequel takes place not long after the events that transpired in “Underworld” as the female vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and her significant other, the werewolf/vampire hybrid Michael (Scott Speedman) are on the run from the awakened Marcus (Tony Curran), the first true vampire, who is seeking retribution for the death of Viktor (Bill Nighy).

A roller coaster of bloodstained events ensues that not only sheds light on the true origins of Selene and the ancient vampire bloodline, but also the role of mysterious Alexander Corvinus (Sir Derek Jacobi) in the war between the Vampires and the Lycans.

If you haven’t already read the books, I strongly recommend that you watch “Underworld” (2003) prior to “Underworld: Evolution” in order to better grasp the flashbacks and back stories that the latter film frequently alludes to.

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Now playing: Mobb Deep – Dirty New Yorker (Featuring Havoc & Prodigy From H.N.I.C. Part 2 Sessions)
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